As technology has become more important in farming operations, such as precision farming, seed planting has become more accurate. Improved technology has also allowed increased planting speeds. No-till planting has also become commonplace, which plants seeds in fields with crop residue from the previous season.
Conventional seed crop planting utilizes a toolbar with a plurality of seed hoppers mounted on row planter units, with each unit including opening discs, gauge wheels, and closing wheels mounted to the toolbar via a bracket assembly. In agriculture, draft is the force required to move the implement through the soil in the direction of travel. The draft load or force on the implement is a function of the soil resistance, which depends upon various factors. For example, fine soil increases draft as compared to coarse soil. Inclines in the field also increase draft force, as does crop residue in the field. Increased soil moisture further increases the draft load. Also, the draft load increases as the planting speed increases and as the planting depth increases.
With increased plating speeds and no till plating, row units are subjected to additional draft stress during the planting operation. This increased stress has led to the failure of bolts in the bracket assembly. Thus, there is a need for an improved design of the row unit mounting plates and link arms, and the pivotal connections therebetween, to endure the higher draft loads without breakage and while minimizing maintenance.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved bracket assembly for row planter units which can withstand higher drafting forces which arise from high-speed planting and/or no till planting.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a row planter bracket assembly having robust pivot connections between the mounting plates and the link arms.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a bracket assembly for row planter units having stronger pivot connections for the link arms so as to withstand the draft forces of high-speed and no till planting operations.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of heavy duty pivot connections for row planter bracket assemblies which can be original equipment on new brackets or retrofit on existing brackets.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a row planter bracket assembly having components which are durable in use and resistant to failure.
Another objective of the present invention is provision of a row planter bracket assembly which is economical to manufacture, versatile in use, and requires minimal and simple maintenance.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.